Union warns on 'dumb' degrees over University of Adelaide proposal

BACHELOR degrees will be dumbed down if courses and face-to-face lectures are axed as proposed in the University of Adelaide's discussion paper, a union says.

The National Tertiary Education Union Adelaide branch has been critical of the paper, Towards 2024, on shaping the university's new strategic plan.

Branch president Rod Crewther said it appeared the university wanted to extend the failed student-centric model into tertiary education.

"Student-centric education is the idea that students know it already, the teacher doesn't need to teach, just facilitate," he said.

"It's encouraging students to play truant."

The union branch's submission states this model could turn degrees into just vocational qualifications.

"(The union) is very concerned that student demand should be allowed to dictate what is to be taught," it states.

"Toward 2024 stated to address our students' needs better the university must make its range of offerings more streamlined, with clear pathways and specialisation that map into either further studies or employment opportunities."

Dr Crewther, who represents more than 900 academic and professional staff, said this responded to industry desire to have the Government pay for all their training.

"What's being sold to business is the trouble with university is it is teaching general stuff and should teach what you want,'' he said.

"But we can't teach everything industry wants because it is hundreds of different things.''

A move to more online lectures, as proposed in the paper, should not be the dominant form of delivery because it would lower standards.

"Given current technology, a live lecture will always be more effective than its recorded version, unless the lecturer is so bad that either version is useless,'' the union submission stated.

"In a live class, a good lecturer can hear a class murmur when a key point has not been understood.''

A University of Adelaide spokeswoman said the university received more than 100 responses to the discussion paper from all areas of the university.

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